Almost 30 years later Kristin Smart disappeared, the search for her body continues after police issued a search warrant for her disappearance in 1996.
Smart, 19, disappeared from California Polytechnic State University, where he had just finished his freshman year, after attending an off-campus event on May 25, 1996.
Paul Flores was convicted of murder 25 years later in October 2022. Although Flores, 49, was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, the mystery of Smart’s disappearance still has many unanswered questions, including the whereabouts of her body.
On Wednesday, May 6, deputies with the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a home in the 500 block of East Branch Street in connection with Smart’s disappearance. The home belongs to Flores’ mother, Susan Flores, according to USA Today.
The sheriff’s office confirmed in a statement the same day that the investigation stemmed from a search warrant signed by a Superior Court judge and related to Smart’s disappearance.
“The Sheriff’s Office remains committed to bringing Kristin home to her family,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “No other information is available.”
Although the agency did not share any additional information, it uploaded images from the latest search. Police were photographed talking outside the home, and walking through the property’s outdoor garden and garage, which housed many household items.
The “Your Own Backyard” podcast, which is about Smart’s disappearance, reported that deputies called Flores’ mother to her door at 7:05 a.m.
Back in March 2021, Flores’ father Ruben Flores‘ The property was searched with ground-penetrating radar in connection with Smart’s disappearance. The search led to the arrest of two Flores men. Ruben was arrested as an accessory to murder, although he was later acquitted.
During the search, authorities found a 6-foot by 4-foot void under Ruben’s desk and took several soil samples from the area. The samples tested positive for human blood, leading prosecutors to believe Smart’s body was removed from the area sometime before the search.
Smart’s disappearance has been a topic of discussion Us Weekly‘s Revealed. San Luis Obispo Tribune a reporter Chloe Joneswho was covering the Flores case and spoke to Smart’s parents, he told an investigative reporter Kristin Thorne that the Smart family still hoped to find his body.
“They don’t have a body yet, and all they want to do is have his body, lock him up to put him to sleep,” Jones said. “They are still very sad, still sad. They still feel that even though the case is over, they don’t have the closure they would like.”
